Support for washing machines and the like



Oct, 3, 1939. s. E. OLSSQN SUPPORT FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed July 15, 1957 Fig. l.

lllllll llllJ inventor. Gosta El 0 I sson,

H l s AttOTT'KBg.

Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Gosta E. Olsson, Bridgeport, Conm, assi gnor to General Electric Company,- a corporation of New York Application July 15, 1937, Serial No. 153,766

3 Claims.

, The present invention relates to washingmachines and the like and more particularly to an improved construction and arrangement of a support therefor.

'5 The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement for supporting washing machines and the like. For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to-the accompanying description and the claimsappended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of 'a washing machine embodying my invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a leg in the process of as sembly.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown. a washing machine having a cylindrical sheet metal tub I supported on a skirt 2. The skirt is provided with an outwardly flaring upper edge or rim 3 and an inwardly turned or rolled lower edge 4. The rim provides a seat' for the tub. A water-tight joint between the tub and the skirt is provided by a ring 5 of-rubber or other nonmetallic material which fits over the upper edge of the skirt and extends between the tub and the rim of the skirt.

In the skirt are a plurality of rectangular openings 6 in each of which is seated a leg 1 formed so of sheet metal with a channel-shaped cross-section. The legs have a wide top portion 8 which projects through the openings 6 and a narrow lower portion 9 in which is secured a caster Ill. The top portion 8 has a top wall II which engages the top edge of the opening 6 and side walls [2 which engage the side edges of the opening. Projecting from the walls II and I2 is a flange l3 which engages the inner surface of the skirt around the opening. In each of the walls [2 is a shoulder or seat 14 which cooperates in supporting relation with the turned or rolled lower edge 4 of the skirt when the leg is assembled.

The legs 7 may be inserted into position in the openings 6 by passing the reduced lower end 9 through the openings from the rear of the skirt,

as illustrated in Figure 2, or the legs may be inserted from the front of the skirt by turning the legs so that the flanges l3extend diagonally across the openings 6. The leg is thereafter positioned by bringing the flanges I3 into abutting relation with the rear of the skirt in which position the flanges limit the movement of the leg through the aperture. The shoulders 14 will now be in supporting relation to the lower edge 4 of the 5 skirt. The portion 8 of the leg projects through therein. Verticalforces are transmitted from the skirt to the leg through the wall II and the shoulder l4 and lateral forces are taken by the Walls l2.

The leg may be secured in position by welding 5 the flanges l3 to the skirt, for example, by spot welding. The legs may be alternatively secured to the skirt by tension members l6 connected between the lower ends or the legs. The tension members Hi are secured to the legs by bolts ll 10 and are secured to each other at the center in a manner not shown. The tension members l6 cause the legs to fulcrum about the curved lower edge 4 of the skirt and cause the flanges 13 to be forced tightly against the inner surface of the 16 skirt.

What I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a support for washing machines and the like, a skirt comprising a substantially vertical :0 wall having an opening therein anda rolled lower 4 edge, a leg having flanges thereon engaging one side of said wall about said opening, said leg having a portion between said flanges projecting into and in contact with the edges of said opening, said leg being further provided with a load receiving shoulder adapted to lie beneath and in contact with the rolled lower edge of said skirt.

2. In a support for washing machines and the like, a skirt comprising a substantially vertical wal with an opening therein, a channel-shaped leg having a web portion and sidewalls, the web being shaped at its upper end to form a load supporting shoulder, said shoulder and said sidewalls extending toward said skirt and having portions thereof adapted to make contact with the edges of said opening, flanges extending from said sidewalls and engaging one side of the wall of sai skirt about said opening, I

3. In a support for washing machines and the like, a skirt comprising a substantially vertical wall having a rectangular opening therein and an inwardly curved lower edge, a leg having a portion on the outside of said skirt and having a rectangular portion extending through and making firm contact with the edges of said opening to form a load support and to absorb lateral forces, said leg being insertable through said opening from either side of the skirt, a flange projecting from the rectangular portion of said leg and adapted to make contact with the inner surface of said wall, shoulders in the lower portion of the leg adapted to lie beneath and in contact with the curved lower edge of the skirt, and means forcing said flange firmly against the inner surface of the skirt and thereby holding the leg in position.

GOSTA E. OLSSON. 

